Some people in life take risks. Others sit back and play it safe. I don’t know that I would say either of these approaches is inherently good or bad. There is a time to take a leap of faith and there is also a time to play it safe when the risk just doesn’t make sense. This is wisdom. This is learning from the lessons of life and of others. But what if wisdom is not the thing that is holding you back? What if there is something else at work in you causing you to sit on the sidelines watching life pass you by?

Are you afraid of the unknown? Are there things that tend to overwhelm you or cause you to remain stuck in the same place going through the same routines? Do you catch yourself daydreaming and wondering what if? In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Return of the King, when asked what she fears, Eowyn answers, “To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.” Does this strike a chord with you?

What causes you to pause and maybe even wonder “what if.” What are those things that act as impediments to you moving forward? What is it that keeps your dreams from becoming nothing more than daydreams? Often one of the biggest roadblocks is how little you actually know yourself. How well do you know your strengths and your weaknesses? Do you ever feel like you are a round peg trying to jam yourself into a square hole?

One of the most powerful tools I have ever found to help discover who you are and how you are wired is the Strengths Finder Assessment. This assessment helps you discover your primary areas of strength, “the unique combination of talents, knowledge, and skills that every person possesses.” According to Gallup, “People who do focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs. They are more productive too, both individually and in teams. And they are more than three times as likely to say they have an excellent quality of life.”

How does this sound to you? It sounds great to me. I would venture that many if not most of us live lives and work jobs that are utilitarian at best. How would it feel to really know where your greatest strengths lie and how to use them? Wouldn’t it feel a bit like being released from behind bars and set free to do great things? I would encourage you to get to know yourself. Discover who you are created to be. You may be surprised